On the way up to Los Angeles we had a chance to make a quick stop at the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Their Chinese garden, Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, opened to the public just last year. Fund-raising is ongoing for a second phase of construction, and the plants that are there are still on the young side. Still, it’s not too early to take a look at what’s being billed as the largest garden of its kind outside of China.

Two stone lions guard one of the alternate entrances into the garden.

Hand-carved stonework and elaborate hardscape details figure prominently in the garden’s design. It’s worth taking your time to appreciate the details close up.

This walkway resolves to the adjacent planting in swooping tiled edges.

Patterns made from pebbles fixed in cement take several forms. Here’s one design.

…And a detail of another designs…

…And an overview of yet another of the patterns using pebbles.

These hardscape details are dense and busy. Plantings are also fairly dense, with many kinds of plants used in a small space. Move a few feet in any direction and your view of the garden changes radically.

The overall effect is kaleidoscopic, and the garden encourages active engagement with the space.

Several structures within the garden add even more to the layering of space. This is the lotus pavilion.

Pavilion of the Three Friends (San You Ge)…

Terrace of the Jade Mirror (Yu Jing Tai).

And several large taihu rocks–“scholar’s rocks”–enjoy places of honor around the gardens central pond.

Walkways curve, bend and buckle. There aren’t many direct ways to get from one place to another. Here’s the Corridor of Water and Clouds, zig-zagging its way along one of the garden’s edges.

Even this bridge, the Bridge of the Joy of Fish, participates in the garden-designer’s manipulation of the viewer’s experience of the spaces.

So what did I think of all this? Overall it’s a pretty spectacular garden. The hardscape is inventive and beautifully done. I’m no expert on Chinese gardens, so I can’t tell you how well it represents the concepts and experience of a true Chinese garden. But the Huntington’s press release makes it sound like they went through great pains to aim for accuracy:

Two firms based in China have worked with The Huntington to provide authenticity to the project. The Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architectural Design, developed detailed construction plans, working from the initial conceptual drawings done by Jin Chen. Among the challenges faced by the architects was adapting traditional Chinese structures to meet U.S. regulations for seismic safety and wheelchair accessibility. Fabrication and construction was provided by the Suzhou Garden Development Co., Ltd. The firm sent 11 stone artisans to The Huntington in 2006 to install the hand-carved bridges and to place the stones around the lake. Another 50 wood carvers, roof tile experts, stone pavers, and other specialists arrived in summer 2007 to work on the structures. Nearly all materials except structural steel and concrete have come from China, including highly sculptural “scholar rocks.”

After making a couple rounds through the garden, with my steps carefully manipulated by its designer, I’ll have to admit to feeling a little bit like a puppet. All gardens are manipulated spaces, of course, and you’re given limited ways to experience them. But in this garden I felt that outside control more strongly than in many other spaces.

Once the plants fill in more, I’m sure I’ll take more time, planning my pacing and enjoying the stops. Many of the garden’s plants have symbolic meanings. Learning to appreciate the layers of subtleties will take time.

The Huntington’s Chinese garden will become more rewarding and interesting over the years, and I’ll look forward to visiting it in the future.